Chapter 128
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Adventure 18. Pain Sharing
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Park Chang-sik shouted.
"Wh-what is that thing? What are we supposed to do with it? Do we have to fight...?"
"...Yes. We have to fight it."
"Phew... Well, at least it's a doll, not like the other monsters..."
"No. Haah... It's not."
Snowman said to Park Chang-sik.
"At least right now... that doll is the most dangerous thing in this labyrinth."
"...Huh?"
"At 25% of his power from back then..."
Finn had entered the Labyrinth of Penance after obtaining the progenitor's blood from the Red Palace.
'The time when Finn started growing explosively strong...'
Even after the Labyrinth of Penance, Finn had grown tremendously powerful.
In other words, he had come here before reaching his prime.
Just looking at it that way, it seemed like a doll mimicking only a portion of Finn's power wouldn't stand a chance against Snowman. But the reality was different.
There were two reasons for that.
First, Finn had visited the Labyrinth of Penance later than the time Snowman entered.
By then, the direction of his growth was set, and his abilities were abundant.
'He probably has... quite a few ultimate skills too.'
Snowman himself possessed two ultimate skills, but Sunset Painting from Karen only activated in specific situations, and while Night Raven Form held immense potential, it wasn't fully realized yet.
Having abundant abilities meant numerous victory patterns.
The current Snowman wasn't strong enough to counter them all.
Second, the worst possible matchup.
Several of Finn Modria's abilities were bizarre and lethally effective against Snowman in his current state.
For Snowman, who had few abilities of his own, Finn Modria was the absolute worst opponent he could face right now.
'But even knowing that... this isn't a fight I can back down from.'
Snowman had his advantages too.
For one, Finn Modria's stats and values were only 25% of what they had been back then.
Of course, even at a mere quarter, considering how stats exploded with each adventure in the Eternal World, they would be comparable to Snowman's current level.
Another advantage.
If the labyrinth was mimicking Finn through the Penance of Pain, then it would replicate his combat patterns from that time exactly.
And those combat patterns from back then had all been orchestrated by Snowman.
So, he could predict to some extent what kind of battle the doll would put up.
'And... that will definitely come into play.'
Finally, Snowman had experienced the Final Penance once before.
The Final Penance involved special environmental changes.
Having already gone through those changes, Snowman anticipated he could exploit them as the key to turning the tide against this unfavorable matchup.
Step.
As Snowman crossed the bridge toward the central square space, he said to Park Chang-sik,
"This time... I won't be able to protect you."
"...I'll protect my own life. I'll try to be of some help somehow."
Fwoooo...
A grueling battle loomed ahead.
Snowman's heart grew heavy as he headed there.
Sometimes, there were fights you simply couldn't avoid.
He decided not to dwell on the odds of victory.
If he had to fight anyway, he would give it everything he had.
Step.
"At first, stay behind me no matter what."
"...Y-yes? Oh, got it."
Park Chang-sik retreated behind Snowman, tense.
Step.
The moment Park Chang-sik's footsteps, following Snowman, touched the square space, a message appeared.
[You have reached the end of the Labyrinth of Penance.]
[The linked adventure continues.]
[This adventure is extremely dangerous.]
[Rewards can only be obtained after all adventures are complete.]
Psssh...
An ominous aura swirled around them.
[Starting the next adventure.]
[The 18th adventure begins.]
[Adventure 18. Pain Sharing]
At the end of the Labyrinth of Penance, someone's pain resides.
This is probably the pain engraved in this labyrinth.
📍 Goal: Pain's Record: Defeat Finn Modria
⚠️ Warning: This adventure is extremely dangerous.
⏰ Remaining Time: None
'It's starting.'
The moment the message appeared, the soul doll began to move.
Fwooooong-!
Right from the start, a red, ferocious energy erupted from Finn's hand. It was an incredibly fast attack, tricky to counter.
Finn Modria uses Blood Curse.
Hitting enemies with the projectile inflicts excessive bleeding.
Hitting enemies with the projectile inflicts coagulated blood.
The projectile flew at them at tremendous speed, like a gunshot.
As if he had anticipated it, Snowman shielded Park Chang-sik with his body.
Thud-!
"Kuh..."
The Blood Curse didn't deal much direct damage, but it was hard to guard against, and its stacking curse made it one of Finn's opening moves.
Its drawback was the long cooldown compared to its speed and potent effects, so it rarely saw reuse mid-battle.
You are affected by Finn Modria's Blood Curse.
Grace Ring activates.
Blood Curse is repelled.
Fortunately, he had a counter for curses.
With the curse nullified, Snowman seized the opening to move to the next phase.
Fwoong-!
Whirlic-!
Whirlic-!
Karen and Karuna were summoned from his hands.
As if waiting for that exact moment, red light flickered from Finn's hand.
'Here it comes.'
Finn Modria uses Ultimate: Ruby Mirror.
Mimics the target's summoned beings.
Mimicked summoned beings' stats are limited to 50% of the original.
Finn unleashed an ultimate skill right from the start.
Ruby Mirror was the exact technique Snowman had been worried about.
For summoners, necromancers, or any class handling minions, it was practically a nightmare ability.
Of course, it might be manageable if that was all it used, but as if mocking such thoughts, Finn's doll continued activating abilities.
Pssshhhh...
Red mist encroached from all directions.
Finn Modria uses Ultimate: Clogged Flow.
Enemies affected by Clogged Flow cannot use one ability temporarily.
Clogged Flow does not affect ultimates.
Rolling magic resistance dice.
Dice shows 2.
Snowman cannot use Persistent: Summon Enhancement.
Dice shows 4.
Carry Machine resists Ultimate: Clogged Flow.
Dice shows 5.
High resistance adds +1 to dice roll.
Karen resists Ultimate: Clogged Flow.
Dice shows 1.
Karuna cannot use Linked Soul.
Fortunately, Park Chang-sik and Karen resisted the magic.
Karuna did not.
'Damn it... the worst! Of all things, Linked Soul!'
It was good that Karen resisted the ultimate, but Karuna's Linked Soul got sealed.
Linked Soul doubled both knights' stats when both twins were summoned.
With Snowman's Summon Enhancement also blocked, the twin knights' stats would plummet dramatically.
Slither...
"My power..."
Karuna and Karen's expressions turned grave as they sensed the anomaly.
Snowman said nothing to them. It seemed unlikely he'd get their help in this battle anyway.
'At this rate... all we can do is match the Ruby Mirror copies.'
They would be hard-pressed just dealing with their own replicas from Ruby Mirror.
"Hup-!"
"Ha!"
Pop-!
Karen and Karuna leaped forward simultaneously.
They tried to compensate for their sharply reduced stats with sheer grit, but any overwhelming force was out of the question.
Less than a few seconds had passed since the battle began and the situation had turned like this.
It was partly because most of the Blood Saint's abilities required no incantation.
Snowman shot forward alongside Park Chang-sik.
Already in Night Raven Form since earlier, Snowman targeted Finn and overtook Park Chang-sik.
Finn Modria uses Rejection.
Pushes the target back.
Pang-!
"Hup!"
Snowman was repelled backward like a rubber ball.
'As expected... the pattern is exactly the same!'
Rejection dealt negligible damage but had an extremely short cooldown.
For classes like Snowman's Night Raven Form that needed to stick close, it was an extreme counter.
Park Chang-sik followed up on Snowman's rebound with his own attack.
"Yaaah!"
"Watch your side!"
At Snowman's urgent shout, Park Chang-sik checked his momentum.
And hurriedly fell backward.
Shrieeeek-!
A blood spear that would have pierced Park Chang-sik's head if he had charged straight.
"Hah..."
Snowman's brow furrowed.
'Finn is a turtle.'
A turtle hiding behind its hard shell, occasionally peeking out its head.
Its immense defense was trouble enough, but the destructive power of its sporadic attacks chilled the spine.
Getting caught in one was like having a finger bitten off by the turtle.
Fwoom...
Fwoooong...
Blood spears continued to form.
Their magical destructive power wasn't special, but if they touched the body even slightly, that part would rupture.
That was the hallmark of Finn's magic.
'We're not monsters.'
Unless you boasted the toughness of a powerful monster, allowing Finn to land an attack meant the end.
Shrieeek!
Kwachik!
Shrieek!
Kwajijik!
When the blood spears stabbed the ground, small explosions and vibrations erupted.
'It's about time...'
Finn's offensive options weren't limited to blood spears.
Rejection was tricky on its own, and he had many other abilities.
It was no easy mark.
Knowing Finn's attack methods made reckless approaches even harder.
Snowman scanned his surroundings, waiting for a shift in the situation.
'I need a variable. Soon, the season should change...'
It was then.
Rumble...
The statue of the knight gripping its sword in reverse grip began to vibrate.
[The Knight's Season arrives.]
[Swords will periodically fall onto the battlefield.]
"Damn it, not this..."
Snowman muttered as he leaped back.
A sword plummeted onto the spot where he had just stood.
Shrieeeek-!
Kwaaang!
Greatswords began crashing down across the battlefield.
"Uwaaak!"
Park Chang-sik panicked, dodging frantically.
Whenever something flew in, a sword inevitably slammed there.
Finn's doll hurriedly moved its feet as well.
Pop-!
Pop-!
In that moment when everyone on the battlefield prioritized evasion over attack, something burst from Finn's blind spot.
Fwoooooong-!
A black fist.
Snowman's fist.
Finn's doll flinched in surprise and reflexively used Rejection.
Paaaang-!
"Kuh..."
Snowman's all-out strike was inevitably repelled by Finn.
And then, Finn's doll realized.
That Snowman's ambush had been a feint.
Kwajiiiiiik-!
A sword fell atop Finn, who had been too busy responding to Snowman to dodge.
Snowman, expecting some result, soon felt disappointment.
Fwoooooooong...
Finn Modria uses Blood Veil.
Nullifies 75% of physical damage.
Veil's integrity drops.
Nullifies 50% of physical damage.
Finn's doll's arm dangled limply.
Even mitigating 50% of the damage, it would have been quite severe.
"Still the same, that turtle-like behavior."
Slashhh-!
Finn Modria uses New Flesh.
Recovers 70% of recently lost HP at high speed.
"......Whoa."
Suddenly, Finn's doll began to speak.
Snowman widened his eyes and focused to make out its words.
The creaking doll.
Creak...
"P...pain...ful..."
This was the memory Finn had left in the Penance of Pain—a record of Finn, exhausted and broken from endless battles.
Grind...
Snowman gritted his teeth and said to the doll,
"Hang on... Even if you hate it, I'll get you out of there soon!"
Rumble...
At that moment, the battlefield's season shifted once more.
[The Mage's Season arrives.]